The Way To Effectively Tackle The First Big Auto Repair Job Since you now understand how to change oil in your car, you may decide to undertake

a bigger auto repair task. Oftentimes, car enthusiasts decide to go on a DIY strategy to car repair not merely as a hobby, but as a method to save money. When your car keeps breaking down and you may barely pay for the parts to repair it, there's no way you can pay for professional labor. Prior to tackle a major repair job, check out a number of the expert advice below! Research First You can't take apart your car and want to place it together again again if you don't know every one of the parts. Unless you will have a very rare vehicle, you can actually get ahold of an aftermarket manual for the brand name. These manuals are incredibly useful in identifying the parts of your respective car and how they can be assembled. Not to mention, there are simple to follow diagrams that may simplify this process. In addition to a physical manual, look for Internet forums for help. Odds are, somewhere in the world, someone has now asked the identical questions as you may. If you think stuck or you do have a specific problem you can't wrap your face around, post around the forums and get! Clear Workspace Area Focusing on an auto takes a lot more space than many people would estimate. You might think your garage has ample room, but you may be in for a rude surprise as soon as you begin with the repair. It's better to clear plenty of room and set up a workspace without additional clutter to help make your task easier. Repair Takes Time It's essential to understand that auto repair takes a lot of time as well as perseverance. In the event the vehicle you wish to repair can be your only ride to function, create a carpool having a friend or find alternative transportation prior to taking your car or truck away from commission. Be ready to make lots of trips to some home improvement store and wait for your car or truck parts into the future in, that may all devote some time. Keep Organized It's easy to take something apart, but it really can be a nightmare to set it together again again. If you have dozens of nuts, bolts, and washers you're removing through your car, it could feel like a hopeless task to keep in mind the actual way it all goes together. Before you take your vehicle apart, go on a photograph of methods the parts look when properly installed. Once you've done that, label everything by using a white pen and maintain them properly sorted in both plastic baggies or old egg cartons. Maybe you have plenty of enthusiasm for auto repair, but be sure you do your homework first, clear enough workspace, while keeping everything properly labeled. Many novice mechanics have also found that making the effort to create a checklist will also help come up with a arena of difference! When you stay organized and go step by step, you will be able to correctly repair the initial car.

How Much Should A New Head Gasket Cost On A 2000 Toyota 4Runner?
On Thursday I Had New Spark Plugs Put Onto My Car. Yesterday, The Head Gasket Blew. The Car Never Overheated Before The Head Gasket Blew. Cyc 1 Misfired, So I Took It Into The Shop That Put On The New Spark Plugs. The Car Had No Problem Starting For Me. For Them, It Wouldn'T Start. They Forced The Engine To Turn Over After Trying Almost 10 Times. That Is When I Started To Smell The Coolant And See Steam Come Out Of The Tail Pipe. They Are Trying To Say That It Was The Water Pump That Caused The Head Gasket To Blow, Even Though It Never Over Heated For Me. Can The Spark Plugs Failing Cause All Of This Damage? Needless To Say, I Had It Towed To A Different Shop, Who Is Estimating The Damage For Me. I Really Appreciate This!

Cyc 1 misfire doesn't mean that the spark plug was bad. Your head gasket could have started leaking and causing a cyc 1 misfire. Make sure who ever does the head job, sends the head off to be inspected.

My 1990 Ford Bronco Is Pouring Out Oil Even Parked And It Overheates After Just 5 Minutes What Is Wrong?
I Bought A 1990 Ford Bronco And It Is Leaking Oil Even When Parked It Just Pours Out And I Have To Put A Quart Of Oil In It Just To Drive 5 Minutes And It Starts Smoking Like Its Going To Catch On Fire. The Man I Bought It From Had A Newer Motor Put In And Replaced Everything And Has Receipts To Prove It. I Know Its Not The Head Going Cause I Have Been Down That Road Before What Could Be The Issue?

maybe the head gasket.

Should I Become A Automotive Mechanic?
I Absolutely Adore Cars...I Always Think About Them....And I Was Planning On Going To Uti And Going Into A Dealership Program For Bmw Or Mercedes... But From What I Heard The Dont Make Much Money And Its A Backbreaking Job.... My Other Choice Is To Do An Apprenticeship For Plumbing And Become A Master Plumber And Start My Own Company..But Since The Economy The Way It Is My Business Will Not Have That Many Customer To Thrive And An Automotive Technician Has More Job Security. Please Any Answers...They Would Be Greatly Appreciated

If it is your passion, then yes, go for it. The automotive industry will always be around. It keeps getting more and more advanced and less people have the knowledge and time to work on their own cars anymore. If you become a certified mechanic you will have the skills to do a job that almost everyone needs but not everyone can do. It is also nice to do what you love, so if you love cars then you should do it. You may not make a ton of money right out of college, but mechanics do make pretty decent money, and UTI will put you in the right network to get into that field of work.
Wyotech is also a good automotive school.

I Have A 2004 Toyota Camry, With A Blown Head Gasket. My Options Are.?
1)Trade It In As Is
2)Get It Copper Sealed To Stop The Leak. Sell It Or Keep It?
3)Get It Completely Repaired (Expensive, Around 2500 Dollars) Sell It Or Keep It?
175K Miles And Runs Great, Full Power. Fair To Good Body Condition.

in support of Jay and FlagMichael, and to further complicate things (sorry)

here's a realiity check.
1, these have no known production issues that cause premature failure of head gaskets. so there was likely a causal issue somewhere else that will need to be solve as well.
2, these engine employ VVT-I. little more costly to just replace a head gasket than other/older configs.
3, these employ alloy heads. very likley the decks will need to be shaved.
4, depending on how things failed, any cross contamination of fluids, ie-coolent/engine oil, could prompt a complete rebuild as that may have destroyed all bearings/journals/races. escentaily all mated moving parts. the only way to tel is to disassemble and inspect. potentaily a waste effort on a can of worms. as none of the would save any money. labor to do all that would excede the cost of a re-manned or JDM engine. if one went that way.
5, as a trade in, since they know all the above, and even though, to a dealer, labor is the same if the employees are sweeping the floor or doing vehicle maint/repair. they would simply swap engine for anew. that considered, they would de-value your trade to the cost of a new engine. at least they would tell you that.
6, the chassis has 175K on the clock.

all that considered, it is a pickle for an owner. consider, repair to fix. cash it in, get a JDM used engine, around the same or possibly 1000 more than your guesstimate for minimum repair/damage, which likely would end up way more than that, then the labor to install. then firgure out why it failed in the first place. can't see that being monitarily practical either. trade in? you'll loose big time on anything used. new platform? might get a better deal.

you can get a fair return iffin you have property that it can sit on and part it out. they pull parts. otherwise, i'd seek a place that will buy old vehicles. maybe a local/state program of sorts. they have 'em in cali. not sure bout any other state. program in cali is not just for older clunkers. so... might get a fair price from those places.

just more food for thought. prolly makes the descision making process worse. but i thought i'd stir the pot and give you more info.

Is My Car Engine Repairable?
I Am Having Problems With My Coolant System. The Radiator Has Been Flushed Twice And Refilled. Still, The Coolant Becomes Gunky The Next Day. My Check Engine Light Has Been On For A Month Now, And I Just Discovered That It Is Probably Because Of My Coolant Problems. From What I Understand, &Quot;A Cooling System Failure Can Result In Your Engine Literally Melting Down.&Quot; So, My Main Concern Is...
...Is There Hope That My Engine May Be Able To Be Repaired Instead Of Having To Be Replaced, And If So, How Much Should A Repair Like That Cost? It Is A '98 Ford Contour.
Please Answer Only If You Are A Certified Mechanic. Thank You In Advance!

I'm sorry to say, but it sounds like your headgasket failed. When this occurs, the coolant and oil mix. You get oil in your coolant tank (the gunky stuff you see in the coolant) and you get coolant in your oil (looks like water on the oil dipstick). It's a very expensive repair, depending on the car. Usually somewhere around $1,000 or more. For some engines it's so costly it's cheaper to just have a used replacement motor installed. The headgasket failed on a car I used to have. It was about $800 to replace the gasket and install a new engine head (it cracked), but that was rather cheap for this type of job. My boss' car went through the same deal. He opted to just buy another car because it was going to cost $4,000 for a new motor. I've known others to have the same exact troubles.

1996 Toyota Camry Building Pressure?
We Have A 1996 Toyota Camry. It Had An Overheating Issue That Has Now Been Resolved, The Issue That We Are Having Now Is That As Long As It Is Sitting Still And Idling It Does Not Build Pressure, But The Minute You Go To Drive It, Within 1 Mile It Has So Much Pressure Built Up That The Top And Bottom Radiator Hoses Have So Much Pressure That They Almost Explode. We Have Replaced The Following, Timing Belt, Water Pump, Top And Bottom Radiator Hoses, Radiator, Distributor Cap And Rotary Button, Spark Plugs, Plug Wires. What Could Be Causing This Issue. Any Suggestions Would Be Greatly Appreciated. We Have Also Bleed The System Multiple Times, We Are Using 50/50 Antifreeze. The Only Things We Have Not Had Checked Are The Head Gasket, Block, And Heater Core. It Is Not Losing Antifreeze Anywhere. No Mixture Of Any Fluids Any Where. Again No Overheating. Mechanics Suggestions Will Also Be Gladly Appreciated.

no where did i see you mention changing the thermostat.
heater core won't matter. unless it's a source for leaks.
did you bleed the system with the heater temp on full?

not loosing coolant. or cross contamination of fluids that you know of. a chem test kit for checking coolant for contaminants that can not be seen ( ie-combustion gasses), can be had at any auto parts store.

that said,
a head gasket can be bad, cause over heating, w/o cross contaminating fluids. so a compression test would be in order there.

another thought is the anti-knock sensor. but that would only come into play when driving. and not if it over heats just at idle.